A police officer accidentally shot his 15-year-old son in the head in Eastern North Carolina, officials said.
The teen was rushed to a hospital with a life-threatening injury after the shooting on Monday, Dec. 27, according to the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooter was identified in a news release as a police officer working for the city of Jacksonville, roughly 120 miles southeast of Raleigh.
The Jacksonville Police Department on Dec. 29 didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment about the shooting but shared a statement with news outlets.
“The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into the incident and the Jacksonville Police Department is fully cooperating with their investigation,” the statement said, according to WITN. “We ask that our community members keep our employee and their family in their thoughts and prayers at this time.”
At about 4:30 p.m. Dec. 27, deputies responded to a reported handgun shooting at a home on Haw Branch Road. The son was taken to a trauma center on the nearby Camp Lejeune military base before he went to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, officials said.
“The victim is the son of the shooter and the investigation is continuing, but all preliminary indications are that the incident was an accidental shooting,” the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office said on Dec. 28.
Deputies in their news release didn’t share what led to the reported shooting but said “additional information will be released as it becomes available.” After the incident, the Fifth Prosecutorial District said it was in touch with the sheriff’s office and Jacksonville police.
“This is a tragic event and this matter remains under investigation by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office,” district attorney Ernie Lee wrote in a Facebook post. “The reports, statements, and other evidence from the investigation will be provided to this office to determine what actions, if any, will be taken.”
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